Mosquito repellent

[jayzee]

I'm interested in finding a natural mosquito repellent (non-DEET) that is safe to use on children as well as adults. I had info on a specific product last summer but I can't remember what it was, & a websearch today found too many products to sort through.

We have young children so I want to use the safest thing possible but also want to keep away as many mosquitos as possible when we are outside this summer. Any suggestions?

Thanks...
Jen

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

For what it's worth, our pediatrician was looking for the same thing a few years ago. She finally decided that the possible hazards from using DEET could be minimized by washing it off as soon as it was not needed anymore; and that not using anything and getting bitten by mosquitoes was a worse hazard due to the possible diseases they carry. So she uses it on her children and gives them a bath before bedtime.

We're using a creamy product called Skin-So-Soft, but I am not sure if it is an Avon product or not. I have it in the house (I'm in the garage right now). I'll double check the ingredients and get back to you. I used it the other day and was happy with it.

[Billusa99]

Cactus Juice insect repellant. Made in Texas from the prickly pear cactus. It is available by mail order for 6-8 bucks and also at Redenta's, Academy Sports (camping section) and likely other organic stores.

http://www.cactusjuicetm.com/

It is safe for all ages, works great and smells great. I used it in the jungles of Nicaragua on a SCUBA trip last fall and it worked great even there!

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

The product I used and was happy with is an Avon product. It's called Skin-So-Soft BUG GUARD plus insect repellent SPF 30.

The active insect repellent ingredient(s) is/are ethyl butylacetylaminoproprionate/butylacetylaminopropionic acid.

Doesn't sound organic, but neither is DEET. It smells much more like sun screen than insect repellent, so that was nice. It doesn't smell at all like regular Skin-So-Soft.

The active sun screen ingredients are octyl methoxycinnamate, oxybenzone, and octyl salicylate.

The rest of the ingredients are the same as a pretty good hand cream.

It also says not to contact anything plastic with it, for example sunglasses, watch straps, costume jewelry, nail polish, rayon, spandex (like a swimming suit!!!), or plastic watch crystals.

[CaptainCompostAL]

I just rub liquid dishwashing soap all over my exposed skin when I'm outside. No bugs bite me! Sometimes I might make it stronger by rubbing a little canola oil all over my exposed skin too. Soft body insect pests don't like fatty acids. I use sometimes the same generic pesticidal teas that I make in 5 gallon buckets to kill pests on my plants, I use it on myself!

I've noticed a month ago when we were getting extreme rains and floods, the biting insects were ridiculous around my lawn and garden. I couldn't go outside for 5 minutes without being totally attacked by biting insects on my legs and arms. Now for some reason, they seem to be in control. Maybe it's the hotter temperatures and the drier weather. Maybe its the biological companion planting around my garden beds attracting more birds and bats in to eat the pesty bastards. Whatever it is, it's working.

[Billusa99]

:P
Cactus juice is so much easier to spell... and cooking oil (canola) on clothes is... cooking oil on clothes... :D

[CaptainCompostAL]

Hey, when I'm hot and sweaty in the sun after several hours of gardening on the weekends, I look like those oiled up wrestlers or body builders! Women love that stuff! (LOL)

[Mr. Clean]

Billusa99

Thanks and based on your recommendation, I purchased the Cactus Juice skin protectant spray (not the combo sunscreen product). We will be testing it in the Colorado mountains next week.

CaptainCompostAL
LOL Your canola oil approach reminds me of the Kramer/butter for sunscreen episode of Seinfeld Be careful out there! 8)

[CaptainCompostAL]

I noticed if I rub sun screen plus liquid soap on my body outside, the bugs don't come near me, and I don't get sun burned in this hot weather we are getting.

[Enzyme11]

There actually are a number of compounds that repel mosquitoes as effectively as or more effectively than DEET, and probably more safely. The problem apparently is that there is a high barrier to entry into the commercial market, so most shoppers are limited to old technology of questionable safety. Maybe the disease potential from global warming will boost the demand for repellents enough to allow better products onto the market.

On the herbal side, the cat-activating compound in catnip, nepetalactone, has been shown to be more effective than a comparable weight of DEET at repelling mosquitoes. Whether long periods of use of nepetalactone at repellent-effective concentrations poses a health risk, I don't know if anyone knows. That compound reportedly affects cats in concentrations as low as 1 part per billion, but I believe the level to repel mosquitoes is higher. There is research data that shows that nepetalactone is a pretty effective cockroach repellent. It is a terpene, but it doesn?t look much like d-limonene.

Topically applied coumarin seems to be pretty effective at repelling mosquitoes, but misuse of the pure substance can cause problems. The amount of coumarin that is in a good natural vanilla extract (synthetic vanilla products usually won?t work) shouldn't cause any side effects other than attracting kids looking for vanilla cookies. Anyone wanting a wallop of coumarin can try vanilla that is made in Mexico and is cut with tonka bean extract. The label on that stuff should read "In case of excessive ingestion, consult a mortician." From one maker to the next, that sort of product probably varies so much in coumarin content from the tonka bean extract that I wouldn?t hazard a guess as to how much to apply. I?d start by diluting it considerably. I also wonder how safe topical coumarin would be for people taking blood thinning medications.

The cactus juice product seems like a good and effective product. I think it is fair to say that repellents can work better on some people than on others, if only for the reason that skin chemistry can vary among individuals and from time to time with a given individual.

[Kathe Kitchens]

Cactus Juice is wonderful and wonderful for the skin, too. I have used it for 3 years now and it is absolutely my favorite. The makers have assured me that the cactus are harvested in a sustainable manner that leaves the environment available for wildlife and doesn't kill the plants so that pleases me as an environmentalist. The sunscreen ingredients were chosen as the better of bad choices, so that makes it preferable too. Don't forget there is a citronella extract product called Skeeter D'Feeter that comes in a personal spray that includes geranium oil for the skin and works very well. The Skeeter is available at almost any Lowe's in the D/FW area. As for the Skin-So-Soft, my chemistry teacher sister says that the combination of alcohol, amino acids and antihistamine will be affective as a repellent and soothing in the case that a bite is sustained but most likely wouldn't qualify as organic. Hope this is helpful to everyone!

[Enzyme11]

I mentioned earlier the use of catnip extract (neptalactone) as a mosquito repellent, based on research in Canada and by Iowa State University, and here is the first product that I've run across so far on the Web that uses it:

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/a/+nathernatmos.html

I also have seen the suggestion that catnip oil can attract bees, so that might be an interesting side effect of personal use. Food grade catnip oil is fairly expensive, but I wonder if catnip extract would enhance the mosquito repellent quality of garlic. Unless it is reactive with garlic or they mask each other, it seems to me that adding catnip to garlic tea should make a pretty effective mosquito repellent for outdoor use around the yard and garden.

Here's part of the abstract from Iowa State University's patent on using catnip and similar compounds as repellents:

United States Patent
6,524,605
Coats , et al.
February 25, 2003
Biorational repellents obtained from terpenoids for use against arthropods


Abstract

This invention provides compositions and methods useful for repelling target pests. The compositions comprise an amount of a monoterpenoid or sesquiterpenoid effective to repel a target pest from a target area, the monoterpenoid or sesquiterpenoid in combination with a carrier. In one embodiment, the monoterpenoid or sesquiterpenoid is from a biorational source, such as a plant volatile. In a particular embodiment, the plant volatile is a monoterpenoid, such as "nepetalactone" (or the individual nepetalactone isomers) derived from catnip (Nepeta cataria). In another embodiment, the plant volatile is any one or a combination of sesquiterpenoids derived from the fruit of the Osage orange tree (Maclura pomifera). Such compositions have repellency against arthropods, such as cockroaches, mosquitoes, mites, ticks, spiders, and so forth.
=========

[JimKing]

As I understand it the bugs are attracted to the CO2 that is expelled from our skin. So things that prevent or distort this are effective.

If you are very sweaty/dirty - less bites. Freshly bathed - more bites.

Oil products plug pores that CO2 comes from decrease the amount of bug calling gas - less bites.

Then there are products that repeal the bugs...some natural and some synthetic. To be honest large quanities of either have the potentual of being bad....very small quanities get very small results.


I really believe a combination approach works the best. I apply the DEET or DEET type products to my clothing only and when in nature - smell like nature. :lol:

I also have a good bit a cedar in the yard and at least it seems like we have less biting bugs than some of our neighbors.

[Mr. Clean]

We're back from our trip to the mountains of Colorado and reporting back on the Cactus Juice (w/o sunscreen) experiment. The good news is it is possibly the best smelling insect repellent we have used. The bad news is is was only marginally effective on repelling the mosquitoes and totally ineffective on repelling the biting flies.

I will continue to use it (since I have product remaining) now that I am back home, trying more frequent applications.

I also don't subscribe to the dirty sweaty body condition resulting in less bites theory as we had been hiking for three miles in very warm and dusty conditions.

[seguin suzanne]

Last Saturday during Howard's interview with Bob Webster on KTSA, he gave the recipe for a mosquito repellant containing vanilla extract. Does anyone have the recipe? :?: seguin suzanne